FLUSHING, N.Y. – The Pepperdine men’s tennis team competed in two tournaments on Thursday -- the USTA/ITA National Indoor Championship in Flushing, N.Y., and the Southern California Intercollegiate in Los Angeles. Sebastian Fanselow headlined today’s action, as the junior advanced to the second round at the National Indoor Championships at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center.
Fanselow (Essen, Germany/Kaplan Prep) moved on in the 32-player singles bracket after grinding out a three-set victory versus Oklahoma’s Tsvetan Mihov. Tomorrow, in the Round of 16, he’ll face Eric Quigley of Kentucky.
Quigley comes into the tournament as the draw’s #4 seed, and is ranked #3 in the Campbell’s/ITA Preseason Collegiate Rankings. Fanselow, unseeded in the tournament, boasts a #10 singles ranking.
Finn Tearney (Wellington, New Zealand/Wellington College) made an early exit after suffering a defeat against the #2-ranked Blaz Rola of Ohio State. Tearney nearly forced a third set after taking a 5-4 lead in the second frame, but Rola went on a run and captured the win in the seven-point tiebreaker.
At the Southern California Intercollegiate Championship, being held at the Los Angeles Tennis Center, both Hugh Clarke (Brisbane, Australia/Brisbane Boys College) and David Sofaer (Bellevue Hill, Australia/Sydney Distance Educational School) won their opening singles contests.
Clarke topped Austin West 6-2, 6-2, while Sofaer logged a 6-4, 6-1 triumph over Chapman Chan. Both opponents hailed from UC San Diego.
Clarke’s run ended in the second round when he was forced to retire due to injury.
Sofaer suffered a heartbreaking loss in the second round. The sophomore won his first set versus UCLA’s Warren Hardie 6-2, before a late surge by the Bruin ended with a second-set loss in the tiebreaker. Hardie rode the momentum to a 6-3 triumph in the third frame.
Sofaer and Clarke resume doubles action tomorrow where they are the #3 seed.
Action at both tournaments resumes tomorrow and runs through Sunday.
USTA/ITA National Indoor Championship
Singles – First Round
#10 Sebastian Fanselow (PEP) vs. Tsvetan Mihov (OKLA), 7-5, 4-6, 6-3
#2 Blaz Rola (OSU) def. #19 Finn Tearney (PEP), 6-2, 7-6 (2)
Southern California Intercollegiate
Qualifying Singles
Deven Sousa (UCSD) def. Kento Tanaka-Tamaki (PEP), 7-6 (5), 2-6, 10-7
Main Draw Singles – First Round
Hugh Clarke (PEP) def. Austin West (UCSD), 6-2, 6-2
David Sofaer (PEP) vs. Chapman Chan (UCSD), 6-4, 6-1
Singles – Round of 16
Keaton Cullimore (BYU) def. Hugh Clarke (PEP), 6-4, ret.
Warren Hardie (UCLA) def. David Sofaer (PEP), 2-6, 7-6 (11), 6-3
